Postal worker resigns after video catches them discarding mail

A United States postal worker in Birmingham has resigned after being caught on video discarding mail.

The video was posted to YouTube on July 2. It shows what appears to be a postal service employee throwing mail down a hillside. That hillside is believed to be on Birmingham's south side.

Birmingham Postmaster Mike Allison says this is not behavior condoned by the U.S.P.S. He says the matter is currently being investigated by the Office of the Inspector General.

Because the OIG is investigating, there are a lot of details officials are not releasing.

For example, they will not say what the specific mail was that was discarded nor would they identify the employee in the video or tell how long they had worked for the USPS.

Officials would also not say whether this appears to have been a first time offense or possibly an ongoing practice. And they would not say if the employee gave a reason for throwing the mail away.

Postmaster Allison says he is also very disappointed to see this happening in his city. "It's very disturbing and we really condemn any of this whatsoever," said Allison. "The behavior of this employee does not represent the Postal Service in any way and it's a shame it tarnishes the good hardworking employees in the United States Postal Service that do the right thing the right way every day."

Tampering with or discarding mail that is not yours is a federal offense. It is unknown yet whether the former employee will face federal charges.